Upper-body musculoskeletal pain and eye strain among language professionals: a descriptive, cross-sectional study

Abstract

Language professionals spend long hours at the computer, which may have an impact on their short- and long-term physical health. In 2023, I ran a survey to investigate workstation ergonomics, eye and upper-body problems, and self-reported strategies that alleviate those problems among language professionals who work sitting or standing at a desk. Of the 791 respondents, about one third reported eye problems and over two-thirds reported upper-body aches or pains in the past 12 months, with significantly higher upper-body pain prevalence among females than males, and also among younger respondents than older ones. While the pain prevalence rate in the survey was similar to figures published in the literature, as was the sex risk factor, the association of higher pain prevalence among younger people contrasted with other studies that have found increasing age to be a risk factor for pain. In this article I share the survey results in detail and discuss possible explanations for the findings.